©2011 Galesburg Broadcasting Co.
| Understanding Forms of Domestic Violence |
An area woman in Galesburg earlier this week who deals with those affected by domestic violence says more and more attention is being given to other victims.
Diane Mayfield is the Victim Services Director of the Western Illinois Regional Council's Community Action Agency says her agency sees more and more cases where men, those with different sexual orientations, and children either have been abused or are coming through her office.
Mayfield tells WGIL she understands possibly why more male abuse victims don't come forward.
"We really, as a society, as a whole, do not allow men to be vulnerable," Mayfield said. "They will not tell as much as women and girl will."
Mayfield tells WGIL even some child victims of violence might not be so willing to come forward. "And when they do tell, they're not always believed," said Mayfield, "especially if the perpetrator is a family member. A lot of families tend to be in denial that somebody they love and trust could do that."
Mayfield says her office provide counseling to victims of various types of abuse, and works with other agencies like Galesburg's Safe Harbor Family Crisis Center.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and also is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, among other things, and Mayfield brought "The Clothesline Project" to Carl Sandburg College earlier this week -- a display of T-shirts victims of abuse make as a way to help recover.
(Students at Carl Sandburg College look at t-shirts displayed as part of "The Clothesline Project" Monday.)
(WGIL News Story and photos by Will Stevenson.) |
|
| 04 21 10 by Newsroom |
Click here for the WGIL News Archive
Click here for national news
The following provision applies to all visitors (which shall include persons and representatives of legal entities, whether such representatives are persons or digital engines of a kind that crawls, indexes, scrapes, copies, stores or transmits digital content). By accessing this Web site or digital service, you specifically acknowledge and agree that: (i) Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium; (ii) No Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use; (iii) The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing; (iv) The Associated Press is an intended third party beneficiary of these terms and conditions and it may exercise all rights and remedies available to it; and (v) The Associated Press reserves the right to audit possible unauthorized commercial use of AP materials or any portion thereof at any time.
